Evidence for two pathways of meiotic intrachromosomal recombination in yeast.

This study shows that RAD50, a yeast DNA repair gene required for meiotic interchromosomal exchange between homologs, also is required for meiotic intrachromosomal recombination. However, only intrachromosomal events in nonribosomal DNA are dependent on RAD50; those in ribosomal DNA (rRNA-encoding DNA) occur in the absence of this gene. Furthermore, nonribosomal DNA sequences retain their RAD50-dependence even when inserted into the ribosomal DNA array. We argue that these data provide evidence for at least two pathways of meiotic intrachromosomal recombination whose activity depends on the specific sequences involved or their structural context in the chromosome. In contrast to its role in meiosis, RAD50 is not required for either inter- or intrachromosomal spontaneous mitotic recombination.